


the taller they stand (the harder they fall)

by amako



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Blood and Violence, F/M, Heavy Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, OT3, Polyamory, Revenge solves everything, Sakura takes a page out of Sasuke's book, Team as Family, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2018-12-25 08:09:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12031737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amako/pseuds/amako
Summary: "Her expression doesn't move when Sasuke starts retching, when Kakashi blanches so fast he starts to shiver. She wants blood"





	1. Stuff him in a sack and throw him over

**Author's Note:**

> *shrugs* I don't even know. It was a shower idea. Those are always the worst. This should be pretty short, I have already written half of it and will post it every day.
> 
> As always, I'm not a native speaker so if you find any mistake, kindly point them out!

_We shall not stumble no we shall not fall_

_We shall not crumble we shall stand stall_

{Honor for all - Daniel Licht (Dishonored Soundtrack)

* * *

 

 

With every step she takes, there is a small crater appearing into the ground. Her blank face would be enough to scare off the curious civilans, if the fresh blood on her hands, chest and cheek wasn't doing the job. No one stops her on her way to the new Uchiha Police Station. The huge door is ripped appart when she grabs it. Sakura doesn't stop until she's in the Community Building.

Without a care for the man at the desk, she goes straight to the office at the end of the corridor. She goes through the door as of it was made of paper, wood splinters cutting into the meat of her shoulders. Sasuke is already on his feet, an alarmed look on his tired face. Sakura takes a step towards him, grabs his collar and finally remembers that she can shunshin away.

Three insanely fast jumps later, she's standing on the Hokage's window, Sasuke on the floor in front of her. Kakashi rises in surprise, suprisingly serious when he notices her face.

 

"What the fuck, Sakura?" The Uchiha growls as he gets up.

"Shut the fuck up. Kakashi, you need to summon an Inuzuka, maybe a Hyūga too. Assemble a tracking squad," she says through gritted teeth, ignoring him.

"And why would I do that, my cute little student?" His voice is wary, like he expects what's coming.

"Because some motherfucking traitor went into my house under your watch and slit my baby's throat."

 

Her expression doesn't move when Sasuke starts retching, when Kakashi blanches so fast he starts to shiver. Her thoughts are on Naruto's sobbing form, bent over the cold little body of their eight-month-old son. She refuses to think of his destroyed expression when he realized that Inari would never breath again. She refuses to think of Shikamaru, on a mission in Suna, who will come back to a dead child. Now isn't the time for tears.

She wants blood.

 

 


	2. Feed him to the hungry rats for dinner

_So we step into war with our hearts on the line_

_The dirt on our boots it shakes free over time_

{Honor for all - Daniel Licht (Dishonored Soundtrack)

* * *

 

Kiba rushes through the village on Akamaru's back, Hana and her dogs on his tracks. The ANBU who dropped the request was very specific on how early they were expected at the Hokage Tower. Kiba hates it. He feels it in his gut, how wrong this all smells.

First of all, he's never been summoned with his sister before. But there is a strange quiet weighting on the village and he can't help but feel like there are fewer people on the streets. That's until he sees the damage on the road that resembles footsteps. He leans on Akamaru and closes his eyes. He's never been much of a prayer, but _gods_ let everyone be okay.

As soon as he's inside the Tower, he can already recognize the distinct jasmin smell of the Hyūga, though he's enable to pick which one is here. He's been around Hinata too much not to pick on it immediately. But the stink of old blood is overwhelming and Kiba just starts running.

The door is opened and both Hinata and her father are inside. So are the Uchiha, Sakura, and Shino's dad, who Kiba briefly nods to. Kakashi isn't in his seat, which is unusual on its own. He's standing next to the window, his eyes on the ground and a blank expression covering what's left to see of his face.

Hana and him settle near Shibi and wait for Kakashi to say something. But the man remains at the window, silent and paler than usual, now that Kiba thinks of it. Sakura steps forward, standing in front of the desk with her hands behind her back. Kiba tenses, recognising the blood smell he got on the corridor. Her clothes are matted in hemoglobine and some is even smeared on her left cheek.

 

"This is a S-rank and I am your squad leader. We are pursuing an assassin, most likely a shinobi. We don't know their gender, their age, what they look like. They didn't leave any physical evidence on the crime scene, which is where you're all coming in. I need all of you to do everything in your power to find something, anything."

 

She takes another step forward, her fierce eyes settling on each of them one by one. When they get to Kiba, he shudders but doesn't look away, bracing himself because he can feel the wrongness in his bones.

 

"I will lead you to the crime scene. But before we go, in the interest of full disclosure and because I consider several of you my friends. The assassin killed my son, Inari, in his cradle."

 

Kiba stops breathing, a hand wrapping around his throat where he can feel the horror building up. He faintly hear Hinata's gasps and smells more than sees the soft tears on her face.

 

"I should warn you that Naruto was still there when I left and will likely be unstable. I will do my best to remove him from the situation so you can do your job. Now if you'll follow me, please."

 

And as she leaves by the window, Kiba numbly follows. The gods didn't show any mercy, today.

 


	3. Shoot him through the heart with a loaded pistol

_Love is a distant aroma at best_

_A withering smile that's stuck deep in your vest_

{Honor for all - Daniel Licht (Dishonored Soundtrack)

* * *

 

The house is dark and the smell of drying blood is everywhere. Kiba does his best to hide his disgusted expression, but the elbow in his ribs and Hana's scowl tell him he isn't exactly successful. Sakura leads their odd squad, walking in her home like it's a battlefield and she expects an attack at any moment. Knowing who is inside, Kiba would be doing the same were he in her position.

(gods does he hope to never face that kind of horror. His friends just lost their son, their little baby, in the village he thought to be the safest in the world)

When they stand in front of Inari's room, Sakura sends them a quick sign to stay back before opening the door. The stink is the worst and Kiba can even see Hana blinking back tears. It's not only the blood they can smell, but the sheer suffering coming out in waves from the room. That's when Kiba realises he picked up none of that from Sakura. She's blank, like someone out of the shower after a long mission. She smells of shell-shock and killer intent, but there is no trace of sorrow.

Sakura closes the door behind her and they hear whispers in her gentle tone. Then a burst of killer intent explodes from behind the walls and a roar rips the silence. With a crash, the door shatters in thousands of shards, Sakura flying past them to crash in the wall behind. Kiba hears the crack of her shoulder when it dislocates, but it's nothing compared to the three gashes running from her cheek to her neck, so deep he can see the white of her teeth.

She makes a gurgling sound, blood flooding from the open wounds, before spitting as much as she can. Slowly, she rises without even flinching when she uses her bad arm. The growling sound is getting louder in the dark room.

 

"-a-uto," Sakura tries, chocking on the blood before spitting again, and this time there are pieces of her tongue joining the pool of gore on the ground.

"Shut up, woman," the deep voice answers, before a twisted form crawls out of the nursery.

 

Naruto is unrecognisable. His eyes are blood red, whiskers so dark they look like tattoos. His bones and muscles are strangely visible under his skin, giving him a broken appearance Kiba swears he'll never forget.

 

"You killed our cub," the thing continues, "our cub is dead and it's your fault, whore."

"Gyū- Kyūbi," she tries again. "Wring ack a-uto," she articulates around the mess of her face.

 

Kiba wants to do something, he can feel all of them wanting to, but the sheer terror is freezing his bones, threatening to make him sob. The killing intent is nauseating.

 

"The kid is gone, bitch. You might as well have killed him too. And now it's my turn."

 

He lunges at her, claws extended in her direction, but she manages to crouch just in time to slap her palm against his stomach. There is a burst of chakra and a blinding light from under the man's shirt, before he crumbles to the ground. Sakura collapses next to him, rolling him slowly so his nose isn't pressed in her blood, and takes a deep breath.

 

"Could've goh- beder."

 


	4. Slice his throat with a rusty cleaver

_The night air it wraps its fingers around_

_Your body it shakes from a now distant sound_

{Honor for all - Daniel Licht (Dishonored Soundtrack)

* * *

 

Sakura is fixing herself up in the kitchen while the tracking squad goes through her house. The wound is too deep to heal perfectly and she'll likely have a scar. She hates it. Naruto will come back to himself and find that he left a permanent mark on her face. That won't go well. She snorts with a bitter smile. Like anything in this fucked up situation is going to end well.

She would never have expected to be able to compartmentalise like she's doing right now. Sasuke must have rubbed off on her more than she thought. After all, isn't she going to hunt down someone until she can kill them? That does sound like a black-eyed bastard she's familiar with.

Kiba peaks inside the room and Sakura raises her head when he notices him, gesturing for him to enter. He stands straight with his arms behind his back, obviously reporting, and she's grateful. She needs them to be as professional as she is right now, otherwise she'll snap and that will only end in blood (more than she's already going to spill, at least).

 

"Hiashi-sama is still going through the room, but Hana and I are finished. There are two smells that don't belong here. We weren't able to identify them, but we have a few informations about them."

"Let's hear it."

He shifts on his feet. "Two women, under 50. The sweating could indicate anxiety, but I'd bet on them coming from a cold place instead. They drank macha before coming. I'm sorry I can't give you more than that."

 

Sakura shakes her head, wiping the blood off her hands on her pants.

 

"It's more than I had an hour ago. Thank you, Kiba."

"Of course. If you need anything else-"

"I'll call. You can go home, I'll speak with Hiashi-sama."

 

Kiba nods and leaves the room. She follows shortly after and crosses path with Hinata. The woman looks at her with wide eyes, obviously trying to say something, but Sakura doesn't have the patience right now. She nods in her direction before turning towards Hiashi.

 

"With Uzumaki's outburst, I shouldn't have been able to sense a chakra signature, only a faint trace. Except I saw nothing, and neither did Hinata. The people who did this didn't use any chakra and most likely didn't possess any."

Sakura frowns. "Kiba talked about northerners. If you add that to a lack of chakra, that points straight to Iron."

Hiashi nods. "I agree. Do you want me to inform the Hokage?"

 

Sakura looks up in surprise at the man offering to be a errand boy for her. The Clan Head stares back without showing anything, but there is a softness in his posture and Sakura has to look away. She can't take any pity right now.

 

"I'll do it myself. Thank you for the help, Hiashi-sama."

"Don't mention it."

 

He joins Hinata who's waiting for him at the front door and they slip outside of the house. Sakura is alone in her house that smells like death and she's far from being done. She creates a clone and sends it guarding the crib, before creating another and sending it to the hospital. The morgue needs to take her son, she's not allowed to do so. In a way, she's relieved. She can't imagine going back inside.

When they arrive, Sakura shows them the way and goes hide in the garden. They have a traditional house in the Nara Compound where they moved about a year after they got together. The garden had been a present from Yoshino who had already planted everything they might need, from food to medical plants. It's usually Naruto's favourite place, where he can relax while taking care of the plants, but today she needs the peace it brings.

She waits until no more sounds come from the house and sends her clones to the Hokage Tower with the informations. Then she leaves the garden and wanders in the village. As much as she'd like to go after the women, she needs a mission order from Kakashi (she has no doubts he'll issue it as soon as the clones arrive). On top of that, there is still the matter of Naruto.

Sakura feels like a traitor when she prefers walking around rather than going after him. But she can't. She just can't. The fox is probably still inside and if he sees her again, he might just try to kill her again. The last thing she wants right now is to fight with Naruto. She wraps her arms around her belly, a phantom feeling squeezing something inside of her.

She's about to take a deep breath, to collect her thoughts and gather every ounce of courage she has before going to the Tower when she feels a familiar chakra at the edge of her perception. Her breathing quickens, so unprepared for it that she's soon hyperventilating. A second later, a shunshin leaves Shikamaru behind in a swirl of leaves.

He takes one look at her, the fresh scars on her cheek and the blood on her clothes, before drawing her into an embrace. She stops breathing, her wide eyes feeling with tears. She tries to push it down, because she can't allow herself to break right now, especially if she has to tell Shikamaru.

 

"Inari- Shika, he- I can't..."

"Shh, I know. Sasuke told me. I know, Sakura."

"Shika, he's-"

"I know."

 

The cry is ripped out of her throat without her consent. Shikamaru holds her tighter, his whole body pressed against hers. Then she truly starts sobbing and she shakes so hard he has to kneel down and take her with him. He starts gently rocking her and she muffles her screams in his flack jacket. Drop after drop, his own tears stain her bowed head.

 

 


	5. Early in the morning

_We live for today but we die for the next_

_with blood in our veins and the air in our chest_

{Honor for all - Daniel Licht (Dishonored Soundtrack)

 

* * *

 

She wakes up to the bundled storm of Sasuke's chakra. He's sitting on the tatami next to her futon, reading something on a dusty scroll. She stays quiet a long time, her eyes half-closed as she tries her best to believe it was all just a bad dream. Then Sasuke extends a hand and squeezes hers and Sakura knows.

So she gets up and she puts her hand on her teammate's shoulder in quiet thanks, before moving out of the room. She can feel the familiar hurricane of the fox's energy next to Shikamaru's soothing chakra and she knows exactly where she should be right now. So she leaves the room and she goes looking for them in the place she found comfort in a handful of hours ago.

And here they are, sitting in the garden with their head bowed together, quietly whispering things she doesn't dare begin to imagine. She's not ready to deal with their thoughts yet, not when her guilt and rage are battling furiously inside of her as it is. So she simply gets closer, slowly, like she would approach a wounded animal.

Shikamaru turns around to look at her and even if he doesn't smile ( _why would he, there is no reason left to smile in this fucking world_ ) she can almost taste the gratefulness in his eyes at seeing her reaching out to them.

Naruto, though-

Seeing him is the absolute last thing Sakura wanted to see happen upon waking up. And yet there she is, feeling sick to the stomach and eager to cry with him. This sadness is theirs and it feels like no one else in the world can understand it.

 

“I'm sorry, Sakura. I'm so sorry.”

 

Gods, now she has to blink back her own tears because this is what they do, they support and they stand tall, even when the world makes them bend and tries to make them break.

So she kneels next to Naruto and embraces him, burying her newly scarred face into his warm neck. He still smells like the fox, but it's a smell she's learned to cherish and care about just as much as his own.

 

“I don't care, anata,” she says fiercely. “I love you. I _love_ you.”

 

Shikamaru presses his cheek against Naruto's back, rubbing soothing circles onto his hip. The blond calms down little by little, his breathing slowing down to a normal pace.

 

“What do we do?” Naruto whispers.

 

He sounds so lost. Sakura can't stop a dry sob from racking her body at the thought that this, after everything, might just be what will breaks him. She can't lose him on top of Inari, and neither can Shikamaru.

 

“We're going to say goodbye to Inari,” she breathes softly. “We're going to accept the support of our friends and start to grieve.”

“And then,” Shikamaru says through gritted teeth, “we find whoever thought going after us was a good idea, and we destroy them.”

 

At his words, Sasuke comes out of the shadows where he was monitoring Naruto's control over Kurama, and walks up to them. He extends his only hand to Shikamaru, who takes it, while Sakura helps Naruto up.

 

“Trust me,” Sasuke adds in a dark voice, “we will be delighted to hold them still while you three strike.”

 

Sakura doesn't like the crawling shadow now nested in Naruto's eyes, but it's better than the emptiness he was showing a moment ago. She sets her jaw and convinces her fist to loosen up. Then she looks at Shikamaru, with his blank expression, and Naruto again, with his back straight now. Finally, she turns to Sasuke and accepts the brief hug he offers.

 

“Let's go,” he says.

 

Without a word, they leave for the hospital.

 


	6. Way hey and up she rises

_Can you feel the new day rising_

_Climbing up the east horizon?_

{Honor for all - Daniel Licht (Dishonored Soundtrack)

 

* * *

 

 

The last time he felt that way, the bodies of his family were dripping blood on the tatami. It's a feeling he had hoped to never experience again.

Yet here he is, clad in a formal white kimono, surrounded by other people in white kimono, forming the most horrifying see of ghosts.

The house is filled with friends and clansmen, but finding the three of them is easy. They look shell-shocked, wandering between others like lost souls. The pink scar on Sakura's cheek is glaring at him over her pale skin.

There are about twenty of them in the chamber. It's the Konoha 12, Shikamaru's parents, and the teachers. Sasuke clenches the small knife in his hand and tries to remember why loving anything in this world is worth it if it's to have it taken away like that.

One by one, they all put down sweets and flowers on the table next to the cradle. Inari looks like he's sleeping, in his pearly clothes. His pink hair looks like blood against the white of the sheets.

When it's his turn, Sasuke comes forward and puts the kunai on Inari's little chest. Briefly, Shikamaru grips his shoulder in thanks. Sasuke swallows the scream he wants to let out.

There is white everywhere, on the paper lantern hanging in front of the house and signalling mourning, on the Nara shrine, forbidden until the end of the ceremony. Naruto looks washed out in his white kimono, his pale hair and blue eyes barely colouring his features.

Sakura puts six coins in the casket, three on each side of the small body, and her hands are shaking. Shikamaru puts flowers around Inari's head.

The wake begins. They burn incense and the priest is chanting something with the old words Sasuke has trouble understanding. His voice is low and soothing and that's when someone lets out the first sob.

It's not Sakura. It's not Shikamaru or Naruto either. If they weren't breathing, Sasuke would be worried they were dead.

Hinata is hiding her face in her sleeve, trying her best to regain her composure. It's not working. Kiba is crying silently by her side, his head on Shino's shoulder. Chōji is crying too, and Ino is trembling. Kakashi's hands, peaking out of his nacre sleeves, are shaking violently.

Sasuke feels sick.

When they seal the casket, he hears Naruto's sharp intake of breath. It's the only sign something inside of him broke.

His skin is crawling, where Inari used to run his hands when Sasuke carried him. His cheek tingles, where the boy used to kiss him. He's shaking badly, too, but it takes Tenten's hand in his to realize it. She strokes his back once before letting him go, trailing after the small procession.

The urn is too small.

He can't shake off the thought, as they take it to the the Nara haka. Only the priest is talking, when the urn is put inside. Someone has carved a new name on the stone, and it's painted in red. Shikaku steps forward with a white cloth and carefully wipes the red paint until the name shines.

 _Seiga_. It fits.

 

Shikamaru, Naruto and Sakura all bow to the waist, and stay like that for a minute. When they move, it's the rest of the procession who bows. Sasuke closes his eyes as his hair hides the haka from him.

 

“May you cross the Sanzu river,” Shikamaru says.

“May you find rest,” Sakura says.

“Goodbye, Seiga,” Naruto says.

 

Sasuke starts to cry.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With a few minor changes, this is how a japanese funeral goes. The deceased gains a new name, and they're to be refered that way from then on. The bad spirits can't take their soul if they don't know their true name.
> 
> Seiga means "constellation"


End file.
